21st Century Breakdown
by OpheliaMarie13
Summary: This is the story of Christian and Gloria. They are two people completely different from each other, perfect for each other, and doomed to crash and burn. Clash between my own interpretation and how I would write it as a musical/movie. Also serves as a prequel to "Remembering Whatsername".
1. Song Of The Century

**The plot of 21st Century Breakdown isn't that easy to follow, but once I made Christian and Gloria into people in my American Idiot fic (Forgetting Whatsername) suddenly there was a clear plot. This is that plot. If you have problems with any of it (Names, ages, cameos, locations, ect.) As Billie Joe Armstrong would say: "Go fuck yourself."**

**Disclaimer: I'm not smart enough to write a rock opera. However, I'm (barely) smart enough to decipher one and write a fic about it.**

* * *

SONG OF THE CENTURY

* * *

Gloria was always different. From the very beginning I'd known that. All of Murder City was middle class. Some parts were just better than most. Within the middle class, there were classes. I was part of the middle of the middle class. Gloria was part of the lower end. I found that out on our first day of kindergarten. Even though Gloria lived on the West side of town, she came to the schools on the East side. Because her mom was afraid of her daughter getting raped by the teachers at West. (It had happened more than once.) Ironically enough, Gloria had to ride a public bus to get to school. So did I. It was almost an unstated rule, that on the first day of school a kid had to dress up, but in way that reflected their personality. My parents sent me to school in a black button down, black jeans, and a red tie. It was the best we could afford. Every girl showed up in a dress. The girls who wore the frilly dresses that made them look like cupcakes with icing spilling over, would grow up to be popular bitches. The ones who wore dresses to short or too old for them, posers. I didn't know what to make of Gloria. The girl showed up in a yellowish-white dress and black nylons with several holes. She had dark circles under her eyes that made it seem like she was wearing eyeliner. Gloria's blonde hair hung around her face in wavy strands. She looked like one of those creepy little kids you saw in haunted houses or rated R horror movies. No one knew where she came from and they didn't want to find out. At recess the future-bitches dared each other to say hi to Gloria. She stood under the basketball hoop, like she was waiting for something to happen. One girl finally walked up to her giggling.

"Hi." She said.

"Hey." Gloria replied.

"My name is Ruby Ultramarine." The girl said waiting.

"Did you know that your name is an oxymoron?" Gloria asked. Ruby stared at her. "Because ruby is red and ultramarine is a shade of blue. Blue and red are opposites, so your name is an oxymoron."

"You're a freak." Ruby sneered.

"What was your first clue?" Gloria replied. Ruby ran off to her friends, upset that her plan had backfired. Most people don't believe that a five-year old could come up with comebacks like that, or even know what an oxymoron is, but I saw it happen. Gloria grew up in one of the worst neighborhoods I've known, maybe it taught her to be quick on her feet. Murder City was always a strange place. Growing up anywhere else your parents told you, "If a stranger offers you candy, don't take it." And you almost never had to use that knowledge. Before I got on a public bus, my parents told me, "Christian, if a stranger offers you candy, it's probably strawberry quick. Thank them, because drugs are expensive, but pass because they're bad for you." Ten minutes later I did exactly that. Another two minutes later, Gloria got on the bus. My parents said to sit on the least-urine-scented seat and don't touch the poles because I'd get MYRSA. Gloria hung onto a pole swinging around it like we were on a playground. Then she started singing. That's right, singing.

_"Sing us a song of the century_

_That's louder than bombs and eternity_

_The era of static and contraband_

_That's leading us into the promised land_

_Tell us a story that's by candlelight_

_Waging a war and losing the fight_

_They're playing our song of the century_

_Of panic and promise and prosperity_

_Tell me a story into that goodnight_

_Sing us a song for me"_

Everything that she did that day turned me on, at least as much as a five-year-old can be turned on. I don't know exactly why, but I walked away from my newly made friends and over to Gloria under the basketball hoop. She didn't even notice me until I kissed her. I might even say we were making out, except Gloria didn't do anything. She just kept her mouth in place while I kissed her. And when I pulled away, she just stared up at me. Then Ruby got a teacher and I was sent home right away. My parents yelled at me and my mom asked me where I saw something like that. I shrugged and said the bus stop that morning. They had a serious talk with me about how I wasn't allowed to have a girlfriend until middle school, or at least fourth grade. The next day I went up to Gloria and told her what my parents said. I also got fist-bumped by the future St. Jimmy. Two weeks later I was moved up a grade. I pretended to forget her. Out of sight out of mind I told myself. But that was hardly the case. I saw her on some days and on others I didn't. Gloria was always making an appearance. Getting a solo in choir songs, getting suspended, getting a job at the record store on East 12th street across from the building of robots who filed papers all day. Gloria was confident in herself, nobody made a mark on her; she knew exactly who she was and what she wanted in life. I didn't know who I was and the only thing I knew I wanted in life, was her. Gloria skipped fifth grade and moved up to sixth with me. But she didn't notice me. I was just someone in The Class of '13.

I'd been apart of The Class of '13 since Christmas of sixth grade. Anyone who wasn't in it, just said we were a bunch of punks who hung out underneath an old railroad known commonly as "The Underworld". But we saw ourselves as a group of lost teenagers living in one of the worst times in American history. We got together after school and complained about our lives to each other, generally while drinking, smoking, shooting, painting graffiti or playing music. I carried my guitar to and from school most days, sometimes I just left it inside the piano in the Underworld. The music, beer, and drugs were all good, but the graffiti was mediocre; made up if mostly names and swear words sprayed in sloppy black and red letters.

The first day of seventh grade I saw Gloria in the library. I hid behind a bookshelf. When she tried reaching for a book, I saw it on her inner left arm, "Gun for Hire" in print. And on her right wrist in cursive, "for hope". Gloria pulled down George Orwell's 1984. After checking it out I followed her to her locker where she was humming that song again. When Gloria pulled out her backpack, two cans of spray paint fell out.

"Shit." She mumbled picking them up and shoving them back in. I made the connection that day. I wanted her in The Class of '13. It took an entire year of convincing the other members, but the next year, I asked her to join.


	2. 21st Century Breakdown

**Yeah. Second chapter. Not much to say since it goes with chapter one.**

* * *

21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN

* * *

The first day of eighth grade Gloria stood at her locker applying eyeliner like an artist. The result made her look fucking hot. She always wore her eyeliner like a guy; smudged, thick, and resembling shadows. I walked right over.

"Hello Christian." She said glancing at me in her mirror. "Did you have a nice first day of high school?"

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"You kissed me under the basketball hoop in kindergarten." She said turning around to face me and slinging a backpack over her shoulder. "People actually use your name as a term because of it. 'My younger brother likes this girl. I told him if he pulls a Christian with the girl on Valentine's Day, I'd give him five bucks.' You don't forget the name of a person who kisses you under a basketball hoop Christian Armstrong."

"Fair enough." I said. "And my first day was fine."

"That's good to know." Gloria said walking through the crowd of middle schoolers. I followed her. "We're rotting in this dump, it might as well be enjoyable, or as you put it 'fine'."

"This is why I want you to join us." I said. She walked out the front door and I caught it still trailing her.

"Why do you want me to join what?" Gloria asked heading towards the bus stop, slowing down for me.

"You can speak your mind and you won't let other people hurt you." I said. Gloria stopped to look at me. "I want you to join The Class of '13."

"Me? You want me to join The Class of '13?" She asked. "Why?"

"Because." I said. _"Born into Nixon I was raised in hell_

_A welfare child where the teamsters dwelled_

_The last one born, the first one to run_

_My town was blind from refinery sun_

_My generation is zero_

_I never made it as a working class hero_

_21st century breakdown_

_I once was most but never was found_

_I think I'm losing what's left of my mind_

_To the 20th century deadline." Gloria stared at me for a long time._

_"Take me there." She said finally. "I'm not saying I'll join, but let me check it out."_

_"Follow me." I said leading her towards the Underworld. "I was made of poison and blood_

_Condemnation is what I understood_

_Videogames of the tower's fall_

_Homeland security could kill us all."_

_"My generation is zero_

_I never made it as a working class hero." Gloria sang._

_"21st century breakdown_

_I once was lost but never was found_

_I think I'm losing what's left of my mind_

_To the 20th century deadline"_ I sang back. She smiled at me. "Here we are." I said. "Guys, I got Gloria to at least come here." Everyone mumbled.

"Gloria, this is Nicole, Annabel, Theo, Jason, Tyler, and Angel."

"Cool." She said.

"Occasionally St. Jimmy will join us, even though he's not technically in the class of '13. I mean, he dropped out of high school awhile ago." Angel said. "But we get most of our stuff from him."

"St. Jimmy." Gloria echoed. She was impressed.

"I love him." Theo whispered creepily.

"Watch out for Theo. He's strange sometimes." I whispered to her.

"I like strange." Gloria said. "So you guys just do drugs and drink while complaining about what was once America the beautiful?"

"Basically." Jason said. "But we play music too. Tyler kills it on bass and I play drums. But we don't even compare to Christian's guitar playing gift."

"Oh really?" Gloria asked raising an eyebrow. She fell into one of our crappy chairs. I walked over to the piano and pulled my guitar out. Jason walked over to the drum set and Tyler began tuning his bass. After a few moments I burst into song.

"_We are the class of '13_

_Born in the era of humility_

_We are the desperate in the decline_

_Raised by the bastards of 1969"_ I sang. Gloria smiled again. I returned her smile. Annabel and Nicole whispered and held out a lighter to her. Gloria didn't even look at it. Her eyes were locked on me.

_"My name is no one_

_The long lost son_

_Born on the 4th of July_

_Raised in an era of heroes and cons_

_That's left for dead or alive_

_I am a nation a worker of pride_

_My debt to the status quo_

_The scars on my hands_

_And the means to an end_

_Is all that I have that I have to show_

_I swallowed my pride_

_And I choked on my faith_

_I've given my heart and my soul_

_I've broken my my fingers_

_And lied through my teeth_

_The pillar of damage control"_ At that point Theo looked at Gloria.

"Still thinking about it?" He asked. Before she could answer I came back in.

_"I've been to the edge_

_And I've thrown the bouquet_

_Of flowers left over the grave_

_I sat in a waiting room_

_Wasting my time_

_And waiting for judgement day_

_I praise liberty_

_The 'freedom to obey'_

_Is the song that strangles me_

_Don't cross the line"_ I looked at Gloria. Everyone did. "Are you in or not?" I kept playing waiting for an answer. She stood up and walked in front of me. Gloria turned around to face the others.

_"Dream, America dream,_

_I can't even sleep_

_From the light's early dawn"_ She sang.

_"Scream, America scream_

_Believe what you see_

_From heroes and cons?"_ We waited for her answer. "Fuck yeah. I'm in."


	3. Know Your Enemy

**Some of these chapters will be short, others will be long. It all depends on the song and who's narrating it. I also plan on trying upload more than one chapter at a time, possibly entire acts at a time. And I think it's only fair to let you know that I fail at writing out song lyrics so everything will have a weirdness to it. So yeah, just a heads up. Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

"So, this is basically an anti-church?" Gloria asked. It was one of those slower days. Angel laid on the floor sharing a joint with Tyler. Jason sat between Annabel and Nicole on the couch looking very satisfied with himself. I sat by the piano playing whatever came to mind on my acoustic. Theo looked up from spraying "ST. JIMMY" in red on a wall.

"What?" He asked.

"Well not really an anti-church. If anything, this is like a church." Gloria continued. She walked around as she talked, it made what she was talking about all the more interesting.

"How so?" Angel asked handing the rest of the joint to Tyler. He looked as happy as Jason when she did.

"We don't have a preacher because we all talk. But we do preach, only we're negative. Because we talk about our lives and they all suck, because the world sucks."

"Amen." I said.

"See!" Gloria said. "I'm basically preaching right now."

"Only we do that through song." Angel pushed. "And I aside from the first day you came here, haven't heard you sing once." Gloria raised and eyebrow.

Angel never really liked Gloria. Probably because I liked Gloria and Angel liked me. She didn't even know that I was a year younger than her because of how tall I always was. When she heard about my crush on Gloria, she was pissed. I never really got it until I saw the girly fights the two of them would have.

"Jason." Gloria said. He looked up. She nodded towards his drum set. "Give me a beat. Something simple." Angel tossed white-blonde hair over her shoulder.

"You want me too?" I asked.

"Yeah." Gloria said. "But not on that. Get your electric." I opened up the piano.

"Tyler. I know you're stoned but jump in if you want." I said walking over. He smiled and grabbed his bass. That kid scared me sometimes. Theo sat where Jason was before and Nicole and Annabel stared at him. Angel stepped back. Gloria nodded to Jason. I could see her counting silently. She pointed to me. It was easy. Improv is my middle name.

"Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy"

Gloria sang. Angel seemed shocked.

"Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy

Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy"

The tune was easy to catch on to and Theo was the first to start singing along. Everyone else did too. Angel mumbled under her breath.

"Violence is an energy  
Against the enemy  
Well violence is an energy

Bringing on the fury  
The choir infantry  
Revolt against the honor to obey

Overthrow the effigy  
The vast majority  
We're burning down the foreman of control

Silence is the enemy  
Against your urgency  
So rally up the demons of your soul

Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy

Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy

The insurgency will rise,  
When the blood's been sacrificed  
Don't be blinded by the lies in your eyes."

She pointed to me while I played out a solo. Gloria bit her lip smiling and tapping her knee in time with the music. She winked at me and it wasn't cheesy.

"Well, violence is an energy,  
From here to Eternity  
Well, violence is an energy,  
Silence is the enemy

So give me give me revolution!"

Gloria held her hand up to Jason and Tyler and let me play out. She pointed to me. Confused, I sang,

"Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta know the enemy"

Gloria smiled and Theo started singing with her. Nicole and Annabel did too.

"Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy

Do you know the enemy?  
Do you know your enemy?  
Well gotta' know the enemy"

By the time they'd figured out the tune Gloria went on to sing something else while they continued on.

"Overthrow the effigy  
The vast majority  
We're burning down the foreman of control

Silence is the enemy  
Against your urgency  
So rally up the demons of your soul"

Gloria brushed hair out of her eyes and looked at Angel.

"I'm sorry, you haven't seen me what?" She was so cocky and smartass about it, that it was kind of sexy.

"Don't be a bitch about it." Angel shot back. Gloria threw her head back and laughed.

"If we weren't being bitches about things, I wouldn't have had to sing." She said smirking.


	4. ¡Viva La Gloria!

**Long chapter yay! Like always, please ignore how awful my attempts at writing in the lyrics are. If you do I will pardon the 90% that don't review or follow. I just don't get why people don't follow stories they like, it's so much easier than checking for new chapters manually. Sigh. Oh well, review. They make Christian feel better.**

**Christian: *glares***

**Me: What? You _obviously_ have self-esteem issues if you can't ask out a girl you've loved since kindergarten. Seriously, you're attractive and popular amongst The Class of '13. What's the deal?**

**Christian: You write my actions. You control me.**

**Me: Shit he figured it out...**

* * *

"Sorry about Angel." I said to Gloria on the bus after school the next day. We didn't have a meeting that day. Tyler came to school high and got kicked out. Theo had plans to go stalk people and Jason finally asked Annabel out. Gloria invited me to her house. All of us were getting lucky that day.

"I don't care." Gloria said staring out the window. "Bitches will bitch and I'll bitch right back."

"Did you just use bitch as a verb?" I asked.

"Yes. That was me bitching at you." She said smiling at me. Gloria was that good. "So how often do you smoke?"

"Tobacco, herbal, or other?" I asked. Gloria shrugged.

"All three." She said.

"I'm not a huge fan of crack. I don't do tobacco because of how bad it is for you. I mostly stick to pot and heroin." I said. "You?"

"Nothing." Gloria said. I stared at her. "Yet. I'd like to wait."

"For what?" I asked. She shrugged.

"The moment when I've decided I've been waiting long enough." She was that good. "So. St. Jimmy."

"Yeah." I said. "He's basically my older brother. My dad really."

"You're that close?" Gloria asked.

"He taught me how to play guitar." I said. "Jimmy gives me drugs for free."

"Damn. You are close to him." She said. Everyone knew you had to be close to Jimmy in order to get drugs, let alone get them for free. "That would explain your sick guitar skills." Nobody used the term 'sick' anymore. But when she said it, I liked it. "Wish I could do that."

"You don't play?" I asked.

"Not guitar." Gloria said.

"Then what do you play?" I asked. She didn't seem like a drummer chick, and I couldn't see her playing bass.

"Piano." Gloria said. "Since kindergarten."

"That's cool." I said.

"You think it's lame." She said.

"No."

"Yeah you do. But I don't care."

"I want to learn how to play piano. So I don't think it's lame."

"But you're Christian Armstrong. You play guitar, bass, and drums. You learned all three of those from St. Jimmy, who gives you drugs for free. You are the poster child of the underbelly children." Gloria said. "If you play piano, it's cool. I've never drank or done drugs and you only wanted me to join The Class of '13 because you think I look good in eyeliner and a leather jacket and I have a nice ass."

"How did you know I thought you had a nice ass?" I asked.

"I can see your boner when I wear skinny jeans to school." She said. Gloria was that good.

"Your point being?" I asked.

"I'm not one of you guys." She said. "I'm a white rose dressed as a weed. Saints and sinners don't mix well."

"Look, I didn't invite you to our club because of how hot you are. I brought you to the Underworld because you are you. There's no one else that comes close to being Gloria." She smiled a little. "If you can teach me piano, I'll teach you guitar."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Deal." We shook on it.

Gloria lived on 8th Avenue, better known as "the Ave." The neighborhood was really awful. Broken glass from various bottles and windows scattered the streets; along with trash, empty cigarette cartons, and condoms (used and unused). There was a pair of Chuck Taylors hanging from a phone line. We came to a liquor store and I got nervous. I heard stories about the liquor stores on the East Side. And a gun shooting had just happened at the one Gloria chose. I stopped when we came to the parking lot.

"What?" Gloria asked.

"Nothing." I lied following her into the store. An old black guy with only a few yellow teeth and a grey sweatshirt stood behind the counter. He smiled when Gloria walked in.

" 'ey Gloria! How you doin'?" He asked.

"I'm fine J, thank-you for asking." She replied. "You know the drill. I give you the money, you give me the mereh-juana." Gloria said placing a twenty on the counter. J looked at her for a moment.

"You serious?" He asked taking the money. Gloria burst into laughter.

"No. Just the usual." She said. J laughed with her.

"I thought you finally decided to join every other kid in town on the drug boat." He said nodding towards the aisles. Gloria began walking down one with various wines. She ran her finger tips along the bottles. I stood by the counter awkwardly.

"You know I don't want to do them." Gloria said.

"The kids or the drugs?" J joked. She shook her head laughing.

"If I'm going to do drugs, I'm going to do them right." Gloria said. "I just want to wait."

"We'll Miss G, you know I've got the goods." He said. "Doesn't get much better then my stuff."

"I'm sorry, but I found a different pusher." Gloria said. J looked confused.

"Who?" He asked. Gloria swung around into the liquor aisle. She walked down it, then came to a bottle of scotch, picking it. I knew what she we going to say.

"St. Jimmy." J slammed his fist on the counter.

"Now I know you're playing with me." He said.

"Nope." Gloria said smiling. She grabbed two packs of cigarettes and some mint gum. She nodded towards me. "Christian Armstrong."

"Really?" J asked me.

"Yeah." I said nodding. Gloria elbowed me in the ribs.

"You're kind of famous here in the hood, I mean East side." She whispered. "And I suppose that I'm going to be famous too. He got me into The Class of '13."

"And you still won't do drugs?" J asked. Gloria rolled her eyes.

"Bye J." She said heading for the door. I followed behind her. We came to the corner of Stuart and the Ave. A set of seven story buildings stood there. We went into the first one. "Sorry, I'm on sixth floor."

"That's fine." I said. Gloria and I took the elevator, even though it looked roach infested and smelled like sex. The lights flickered and awkward elevator music played softly. The doors opened, even though a tiny part of me wanted us to get stuck there for a few moments. Gloria led me to apartment 21B. She pulled a key out of her bra and unlocked the door. A pale blonde figure wrapped in a blue blanket sat on the couch. I thought it was Gloria's sister.

"Hey mom." She said setting the scotch and box of Camel on the table in front of her. Gloria kissed her mother's forehead. "This is Christian. I told you about him, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Her mom said turning to face me. "Hello Christian."

"Hi." I said.

"Mom, we're going into my room." Gloria said. "I'm going to be giving Christian piano lessons and we'll be talking and stuff. So the door will be closed."

"Gloria..." Her mom began.

"We will be chatting." Gloria said. "All clothing will remain on and we will not be having sex." I stood there awkwardly.

"Okay, you win." Her mom said after a moment. Gloria grabbed my wrist, I could see "for hope" written on hers. She led me to her room. "If he tries anything use the rape whistle I gave you." Her mom called.

"Okay!" Gloria shouted closing the door behind her. I looked at the photograph next to her bed. A man dressed in a decorated solider uniform standing next to a girl- who had to be Gloria- in a black and white dress with her blonde hair swept up neatly in a bun. "Oh yeah, that's my dad."

"He fought?" I asked looking at the picture more closely.

"Iraq. One of the first troops sent out there. Six years he fought. Bullet to the head, they tried to save him, but you know how that goes. It was right before Thanksgiving. 'Killed in action' is what the letter said I think. Either that or 'failed lobotomy'." Gloria said. I got an awful feeling in my stomach. Gloria only looked about nine or ten in the picture. She was wearing makeup and heels, so I couldn't really tell. "That picture was taken the Christmas before he was killed."

"I'm sorry." I said.

"Yeah. I was a real Daddy's Girl." She trailed off crossing her arms. I looked on the other side of her bed. From the wall to the bed, stood a wooden piano. I was expecting a keyboard. I walked over and picked up some sheet music. All of them were nameless.

"You write stuff?" I asked.

"The music. I can't write lyrics." She said. "I hear beautiful music in my head all the time, I try to work out the tune and put it on paper. Whereas lyrics... Nothing."

"What about the other day?" I asked.

"The idea of 'know your enemy' has been in my mind for so long, but I knew that it couldn't be on piano. You guys just knew what to play." Gloria said. I shrugged. I read over the piece in her hands.

"Hey Gloria  
Are you standing close to the edge?  
Look out at the setting sun  
The brink of your vision  
Eternal youth is  
The landscape of the lie.

The cracks on my skin can prove  
As the years will testify  
Say your prayers and light a fire  
We're gonna start a war  
You're slogan's 'a gun for hire'  
It's what we waited for" I sang. Gloria looked at me, then her music, playing again.

"Hey Gloria,

This is why we're on the edge  
The fight of our lives been drawn to  
This undying love"

Gloria wrapped up the piece lightly.

"How do you do that?" She asked. "You just come up with lyrics like that."

"Music is easy for me." I said shrugging. I took a pencil and began writing in the lyrics for her song. Gloria looked at the title.

" '¡Viva la Gloria!' Why'd you pick that title?" She asked.

"It means 'long live the glory' in... Spanish I think. It's also your name believe it or not."

"Sarcasm unneeded." Gloria said. "Do you want to start your lesson?" I was about to say yes when I saw one piece of music with more than notes. I grabbed it out of the pile.

"What's this?" I asked holding it up.

"Oh. That." She said taking it from my hands. "The first piece I've ever written with lyrics. My dad told me the story about the day he met my mom and continued it until the day I was born. The way he talked about love in all of its forms, it just inspired me. I added more when he told me how hard it was to leave us. Then when he was talking to my mom on their anniversary night and I was eavsdropping, I wrote more. It's kind of a love song, but it can mean a lot of things. I gave up on it after his funeral, but it still gives me hope."

" 'Last Night On Earth' ?" I asked. Gloria shrugged.

"The last time I ever worked on it was the day he died. I added in the melodies. The title just came to me after he died." She said setting it down. "No more questions."

"What if it doesn't have to do with music?" I asked. Gloria raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that's a question."

"It depends on what you're asking." She said.

"Are you an artist?" I asked.

"How'd you know?" Gloria said. I pointed to her walls, filled with music notes, poems, and graffiti. "Oh yeah."

"And I saw spray paint in your backpack once." I added.

"Stalker." She joked.

"Whatever works." I said. Gloria labeled the piano keys and taught me the octaves. It was a short lesson, but she was a good teacher.

"Maybe tomorrow you'll be able to play Hot Cross Buns." Gloria said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"So just get to the Underworld a little early so we work on this." I said. She nodded.

"I'm going to bring some of my music and paint." She said. "You guys are in desperate need of good graffiti." Gloria grabbed a few pieces of sheet music and handed them to me. "Try and study these. I you have a keyboard, practice them. Okay?"

"Okay." I said. She glanced away and I snagged Last Night On Earth from the pile and shuffled it in with what she gave me.

"I'll walk with you." Gloria said.

"Not everyone knows you're my friend yet." Her town was that bad.

* * *

Her fingers danced across the keys. The music from our old wooden piano echoed off the concrete walls of the Underworld. Gloria had a way of just making things better. After ten minutes of practicing she pushed me off the piano bench to practice '¡Viva la Gloria!'. She'd grown to like it. A few people started showing up when she was singing though it the third time. Just as Gloria finished I began with the part I'd added the night before.

_"__Gloria! Viva La Gloria!_  
_ You blast your name in graffiti on the walls _  
_ Falling through broken glass that's slashing through your spirit_  
_ I can hear it like a jilted crowd"_

Her head snapped up and her jaw dropped in a smile. Gloria got up from the piano bench and pulled paint out of her backpack.

_"Gloria! Where are you Gloria?_  
_ You found a home in all your scars and ammunition_  
_ You made your bed in salad days amongst the ruins_  
_ Ashes to ashes of our youth"_

She began spraying on the wall. It was a thousand times better than anything the rest of us had ever tried.

_"She smashed her knuckles into winter _  
_ As autumns wind fades into black_  
_She is the saint of all the sinners _  
_The one that's fallen through the cracks  
__So don't put away your burning light_

_Gloria! Where are you Gloria?_  
_ Don't lose you faith to your lost naiveté_  
_ Weather the storm and don't look back on last November_  
_ When your banners were burning down_

_ Gloria! Viva La Gloria!  
__Send me your amnesty down to the broken hearted_  
_ Bring us the season that we always will remember_  
_ Don't let the bonfires go out_

_ So Gloria_

_ Send out your message of the light that shadows in the night_  
_ Gloria where's your undying love?_  
_ Tell me the story of your life ...  
__Your life!"_

Gloria's face fell after a moment. She walked over to me.

"Thanks for writing a song about me." She said. Gloria hopped on her bike and rode away.


	5. Before Lobotomy

**Double update because those are fun! It's time to celebrate our first holiday with the Class of '13. Leave comments, questions, suggestions, and things of that sort in the reviews. Read.**

* * *

BEFORE THE LOBOTOMY

* * *

September went by quickly. None of us complained though. It just meant more October. Halloween was our favorite holiday. My parents were in a good mood, role-playing before sex with costumes made them happy I guess. The Class of '13 always dressed up. Even if it meant lazy last-minute costumes for the guys and slutty outfits for the girls, nobody complained. Plus the cops were out busting cheap vandalism and our chances of getting caught were low. And Jimmy always gave us the best stuff that night. Up until he met a really hot girl, sometimes it included meth. Gloria hung out with us a lot by then. She kept to herself and spent most of her time glorifying the once grey walls of The Underworld. I still wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know the story of her life. I didn't want her to be an army kid who just let that be their personality, I had a feeling she wasn't since I never would've guessed unless she told me. Gloria was different and I liked that. I just wanted to know _why_ she was different.

"Ding dong, trick-or-treat." I shouted knocking on the apartment door to Jimmy's apartment. Whatsername opened the door.

"Great costume kid." She said smiling. I glanced down at my regular clothes; ripped jeans, band shirt, black hood, leather jacket. "So what are you supposed to be?"

"Modern day stoner." I said smirking. "That way if the cops catch us I can say it's just a costume."

"But if it's what you really are it's not a costume." Whatsy said.

"Fair enough." I replied.

"Is that Christian?" I heard in the back.

"Yeah." She shouted. Jimmy walked over.

"Hey there kiddo." He said. "Are you dressed as me?"

"Sure." I said shrugging. Jimmy pulled out his eyeliner and rimmed my eyes quickly.

"There, at least _look_ like you gave an effort." He said. I shrugged. Jimmy grabbed a box and handed it to me.

"Happy Halloween kid." He said smiling. "I'd love to tag along and watch you try to hide your boner when you see the girls, but I've got business elsewhere."

"That won't be happening tonight. Gloria's not the type to wear slutty outfits." I blurted.

"Gloria you've loved from afar since kindergarten, Gloria?" St. Jimmy asked. "Gloria you kissed in kindergarten causing your name to become a verb as well as causing me to meet you through a congratulations fist bump, Gloria?" I nodded.

"Take this." He said handing me a bottle of wine. "Tonight is too good for beer. Even though nothing is ever too good for beer."

"Thanks." I said walking off. The nice thing about The Underworld was that it was only a few blocks away from Jimmy's place. Tyler and Angel were there already. Tyler was wearing his hobo costume for the third year in a row and Angel dressed as her namesake flashing a heavenly amount of cleavage and legs.

"Wine in a red solo cup. Does life get any better?" Tyler asked taking the bottle from me.

"I don't think so my friend." I said setting the box down. "Gifts from Jimmy."

"He's too good to us." Tyler said smiling and tearing the tape off.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Angel asked falling onto the couch. I sat next to her.

"St. Jimmy." I said.

"That's my costume!" Theo shouted walking over in a much more Jimmy-looking outfit complete with skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a chain.

"Damn Theo, those jeans look tight." Tyler shouted.

"They're women's." He shouted back.

"Okay then." Tyler muttered as Theo took a bag from him.

"Freak." Angel whispered into my ear.

"Aren't we all?" I asked. She smiled. Jason and Annabel showed up together holding hands. Annabel was a naughty nurse, Jason was wearing jeans and a neon yellow hoodie.

"I'm a lemon." He announced.

"Nice." I said high-fiving him. Nicole trotted behind them in red high heels as a red-hot devil.

"I wouldn't mind either of you on my shoulders." Tyler said as she walked over with a plastic bag. "But I'm not sure which one of you is sexier."

"Me." Angel said standing up and walking over to him. "You always want what you can't have."

"But I'd be more fun in bed." Nicole pointed out. "I brought candy. It is Halloween after all." She dumped out the contents of her plastic bag. Name brand chocolates and a few fruit things. All fun size. We gathered on the floor in a circle around the pile.

"If we eat these it'll make the hangovers shorter." I said grabbing a few. "Plus I love Kit-Kats. You rock Nicole."

"Where's Gloria?" Theo asked unwrapping a Snickers.

"Nobody ever knows where she is." Angel said.

"She does take the bus here." I said. "She'll be here soon."

"In the meantime we need music." Angel announced. She found an outlet and plugged in her CD player. It was a bunch of recordings of me, Jason, and Tyler. Nicole popped the wine cork and Tyler handed her the red solo cups. Everyone began arguing about whether or not we should let it breathe and if it would be better right out of the bottle. I really wanted Gloria there so I pretended to get a call from Jimmy that he needed help pushing and I left. I wasn't worried about missing any fun. Our Halloween parties lasted well into November.

The bus ride was longer than I wanted it to be but I got to Gloria's neighborhood. The nice thing about it on Halloween night was that nobody knew who I was. That meant I had no chance of being Christian or a 'hey, that guy looks easy enough, let's mug him'. I knew how to fight anyways. The liquor store was buzzing and her apartment building was lit up like a Christmas tree. I heard glass break and a few prostitutes flashed me as I walked by. I really didn't want to go through the lobby and I remembered that Gloria's room had a window. I walked around the side of the building and I looked up at the fire escape. She was the only one out. Gloria leaned against the railing and the wind blew her blonde hair in her face. Black tears fell down her face. She was crying. I could hear her sniffing and I knew it wasn't just crying; it was flat-out sobbing, the kind that made your nose run, the kind of crying you never saw in movies because it was so ugly. I began climbing up the stairs and the noises got louder. Gloria was gasping and wheezing for breath. Gloria took deep breaths. She wasn't that far away now.

_"Dreaming_

_I was only dreaming_  
_Of another place in time_  
_Where my family's from._

_Singing_

_I can hear them singing._  
_When the rain had washed away_  
_All these scattered dreams_

_Dying_

_Everyone's reminded_  
_Hearts are washed in misery_  
_Drenched in gasoline_

_Laughter_

_There is no more laughter_  
_Songs of yesterday_  
_Now live in the underground"_

Gloria broke back into sobs. I was one below her and I headed up the final set of stairs. She wiped her eyes and nose with the long fuzzy sleeve of her black sweater. I walked over.

"Hey." I said softly. She turned around and- to my shock- threw herself into my arms. It felt nice to have her there. Gloria's arms wrapped around my neck. I held her and kept my arms at her hips. "Hey, don't cry. It's Halloween. What's wrong?" Gloria took a few moments to gather herself.

"Halloween just holds a lot of bad memories for me. I almost got kidnapped at age ten when I was trick-or-treating, when I was five somebody was shot in my building, and plus right after Halloween it's November and that means a reminder of the anniversary of the lowest point in American history- George W. Bush's swearing in. And then another empty Thanksgiving followed by and empty Christmas and November is hard enough without-"

"The anniversary of your dad's death." I finished for her.

"Yeah." Gloria said. She wasn't done hugging me yet, I didn't mind. Her head stayed on my shoulder.

"Look, you're not going to be alone tonight. I came here because I really wanted you to be at our party." I said holding her tighter. "So please, come with me. I really don't want to fend off Angel's passes at me all night until we all get stoned or drunk." Gloria laughed a little.

"Okay." She said. "Just give me a moment." She climbed back into her room and came back out without her smudged makeup, her eyes were still a little puffy.

"Let's go." I said taking her hand and leading her down the stairs. We ran in the streets like crazy teenagers, me pulling her ahead. On the bus Gloria used the windows as a mirror while she drew a cat face with eyeliner in her pocket. Gloria adjusted her cat ears before she decided to draw a mask on my face. Even though it was Halloween everyone on the bus stared at us. And when we got off at our stop a random guy told me my girlfriend was hot. It made my night. Everyone stared at us when we got to The Underworld.

_"Life before the lobotomy_  
_Christian sang the eulogy_  
_Sign my love a lost memory_  
_From the end of the century" Gloria sang._

_"Well it's enough to make you sick_  
_To cast a stone and throw a brick_  
_When the sky is falling down_  
_It burn your dreams into the ground_

_Christian's lesson_

_Is what he's been sold_  
_We are normal and self controlled"_

Tyler tossed me a joint and a lighter. After one puff I knew this had to be one of Whatsername's joints, half pot and half oregano. She knew we'd get plenty high on everything else. Either way it made me crave pizza.

"Remember to learn to forget," Everyone looked at Gloria who held the wine bottle in her hand.

"Whiskey shots and cheap cigarettes!" She downed what was left and threw the bottle against the wall. I held up a black box for Gloria to see and she ran over. I sat down on the concrete, she took a seat next to me.

"Heroin." I said opening it. She tensed up. I touched Gloria's hand, she didn't freak out.

"Nobody else has used the needle yet, Jimmy always disinfects anyways. We do too. No chance of STDs, that's why he's popular."

"It's going to ruin everything. I don't want to become an addict." Gloria said. She looked scared.

"You won't." I promised holding her hand. "As long as you pace yourself you don't. I know this. All that stuff they say in ads and health class is just to scare you."

"Isn't that what the guy who dies always says?" Gloria asked.

"But they weren't Christian Armstrong." I said. Gloria bit her lip.

"This is it. The moment when I decide I've been waiting long enough." Gloria rolled up her sleeve and I took off my jacket and sweatshirt.

"People usually shoot with a partner." I said setting up the two needles. Jimmy knew how to get me ready for a drug date. "Maybe that's what you were waiting for."

"Don't flatter yourself Christian Armstrong." She said rolling her eyes. Even with cat whiskers Gloria looked hot. I began tying off her arm.

"Watch carefully, I need you to do the same to me in a moment." I instructed. Gloria nodded and bit her lip again. She was getting nervous. Her hand shook as she repeating what I did perfectly on my right arm. I took out my lighter and disinfected both needles. I handed one to her. I held out my arm and Gloria took my hand. "It's okay." I said. She nodded again and took the needle. I grabbed her wrist and turned her arm. Gloria's hand shook for a few more seconds then stopped. We held the needles in place.

"On three?" She asked. I nodded. Gloria held her breath and turned away.

"One, two, three." The needle hit my arm before I injected into hers. Gloria winced slightly, then sighed. I untied both of us. "And you thought that would ruin everything." I whispered. Gloria laughed in a weird way. The drugs were taking effect already. Annabel and Jason were dry-fucking each other on the couch and I could hear their mouths making weird noises while they French kissed. Theo was obsessed with arranging his cocaine into perfect lines before he began snorting. I placed the needles back in their box before my effects began kicking in. "Oh yeah!" I shouted. "It's been too long since I got this high."

"I'm baked like a cake." Tyler shouted pumping a fist into the air, lying on the ground. Gloria stood on the table and threw her arms into the air.

_"We'll I'm not stoned  
__I'm just fucked up  
__I got so high I can't stand up  
__I'm not cursed 'cause I've been blessed  
__I'm not in love 'cause I'm a mess"_

She jumped off the table. Dilated pupils and skin more pale than usual. It made her hotter almost.

_"Like refugees  
__We're lost like refugees  
__Like refugees  
__We're lost like refugees  
__The brutality of reality  
__Is the freedom that keeps me from"_

Gloria fell to her knees, her eyes glassy.

_"Dreaming_

_I was only dreaming_  
_Of another place in time_  
_Where my family's from._

_Singing_

_I can hear them singing._  
_When the rain had washed away_  
_All these scattered dreams_

_Dying_

_Everyone's reminded_  
_Hearts are washed in misery_  
_Drenched in gasoline_

_Laughter_

_There is no more laughter_  
_Songs of yesterday_  
_Now live in the underground"_

Gloria fainted. I walked over and fell next to her.


	6. Christian's Inferno

**Not much story to this part. So it has two pieces YAAAYY!**

* * *

At school on Monday, rather than sitting by the rest of The Class of '13, Christian sat at a different table alone. I glanced at him through a window outside. I walked in and kept my hood up until a teacher told me to put it down. I did, then put it back on when she walked away. The strands of hair that weren't covered by it, dangled wet from the rain outside. It'd been raining on and off all day, varying in heaviness. When I got to warm, I took off the sweatshirt and started wringing out the damp sleeves. I looked over at Christian. His eyes were locked on something, his jaw clenched, hands held so tight in fists they shook.

"Damn." Nicole said when she followed my gaze.

"What?" I asked.

"I've never seen one of these get so hot before." She said. Tyler nodded.

"Did anything happen on Halloween or in the last two weeks?" He asked. "This has to be a triggered one, he never gets like this 'just because'."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"The infernos." Angel said setting her lunch tray down and taking a seat. "You haven't been with us that long, and you got lucky. Christian usually bursts at least twice a month."

"Infernos?" I asked.

"That's what we nicknamed them." Theo explained. "Christian has anger issues. He takes pills and everything. That why he gets like this. It takes forever to cool him down. It's a nightmare to be around him." I glanced back at Christian.

"I got under the grip  
Between the modern hell  
I got the rejection letter in the mail

And it was already ripped to shreds" He sang through gritted teeth.

_"Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno"_ Everyone at the table sang. I got up and walked over to him. He didn't even flinch. I reached out and touched his fist.

"Seasons in a ruin and  
This bitter pill is chased with blood  
There's fire in my veins

And it's pouring out like a flood"

_"Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno"_ I could hear them back at the table.

"Christian?" I asked. He stood up so fast his chair fell over. Then he whipped around enough for you to hear it and walked away angrily without even glancing at me. I just walked him leave.

I went through the last few periods of my day like that. Dazed and worried about him. I saw him after school. It was a weird kind of humid for mid-November. Yet Christian still wore his leather jacket and sweatshirt with fingerless gloves. He walked at a brisk pace and it was hard to keep up with him. The sky was blue-grey and the sun had a lazy shine, making the two together made the air thick and sticky. The clouds were swollen with rain, like a pregnant lady carrying twins two weeks overdue. All day I'd wanted to shout, "Just fucking downpour already!" at the clouds. But instead it just went on and off, on and off. Stupid bipolar rain clouds.

"This diabolic state  
Is gracing my existence  
Like a " Christian sang.

_"Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno_  
_Woah Christian's inferno"_ Theo sang from the sidewalk opposite to us. He crossed to a different street. I was going to miss my bus, but I needed to know what was wrong with Christian. He was there for me, I wanted to do the same for him. I finally caught up to him and stayed by his side.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked. Christian scoffed.

"A lot of things." He sneered. "I don't need to tell you."

"And I didn't need to tell you about my dad." I shot back. "But I did."

"I never asked to be your shoulder to cry on." Christian spat.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I shouted. He didn't respond.

"Woah Christian's inferno  
Woah Christian's inferno  
Woah Christian's inferno  
Woah Christian's inferno" I sang.

"Leave me alone." He muttered. I grabbed him by the shoulder forcing him to stop.

"Just tell me what's wrong." I said. Christian turned away and I tried forcing him to look at me. He turned around and his hand hit me clear across the face, hard. I fell back and hit the ground. I could feel my cheek swelling up and I touched a finger to my lip and pulled it back with blood. I glared at him getting off the ground and running towards my bus stop. I never looked back.

By the time I got home it was raining hard. A small bruise was forming on my cheek already. The phone rang and I changed into a tank top.

"Gloria! Phone for you." My mom shouted. I picked up the phone by my bed as she hung up the other line.

"Hello?"


	7. Last Night On Earth

I heard music, a piano.

"I text a postcard sent to you  
Did it go through?  
Sending all my love to you." I turned around slowly towards my window. Christian standing inside the phone booth holding his iPod to the speaker as he sang along. I threw hand over my mouth. He didn't see me yet, but he looked up to my window.

"You are the moonlight of my life every night  
Giving all my love to you  
My beating heart belongs to you  
I walked for miles 'til I found you  
I'm here to honor you  
If I lose everything in the fire  
I'm sending all my love to you."

I could feel the tears spilling over. I opened up my window and stuck myself out from the waist up.

"What the hell?" I shouted, the phone still held by my ear. Christian smiled.

"I didn't know how to say I was sorry." He shouted back.

"You song stealing bastard!" I yelled.

"Song finishing bastard." Christian corrected.

"With every breath that I am worth  
Here on Earth  
I'm sending all my love to you.  
So if you dare to second guess  
You can rest assured  
That all my love's for you  
My beating heart belongs to you  
I walked for miles 'til I found you  
I'm here to honor you  
If I lose everything in the fire  
I'm sending all my love to you." He sang. Christian smiled and I held the receiver to my mouth.

"My beating heart belongs to you" I sang.

"I walked for miles 'til I found you" Christian sang back.

"I'm here to honor you  
If I lose everything in the fire  
Did I ever make," We sang. "It through?"

I dropped the phone and ran down the fire escape. I met Christian half way and wrapped my arms around his neck. We stood there in the rain, in an embrace for a long time.


	8. East Jesus Nowhere

**YAY! I got another follower! So... chapter update.**

* * *

Christmas sucked ass just as much as Thanksgiving did, for me at least. Christian wasn't a big believer in Christmas, being an atheist. I wasn't sure what I believed in. But neither of us got the other a present, we still hadn't been dating that long. Angel still made passes at him, mostly when I was around. Winter in the Underworld was as cold as hell was hot. None of us cared. The drugs' side effects took care of that anyways. Christian was getting antsy about me not having kissed him yet. I began painting the floors of the Underworld. All of us were getting too angsty and twitchy. St. Jimmy made an appearance on New Year's Day. New Year's Eve was spent alone for me. My mom got a date- for once, one that wasn't pierced or tattooed anywhere unmentionable. So it meant watching the ball drop on TV and kissing the picture of my dad at midnight. The Christmas present I got from my mom was my dad's dog tags. I wore them everywhere after. Christian began getting pushy. At first it was nice, and kind of overprotective, then I hated it.

New Year's Day, we were all bombs on the verge of detonation. St. Jimmy walked in on a crowd of teenagers dripping with angst, hormones, and angst. Annabel and Jason were either attempting to destroy the couch or suck each others' faces off.

"Is it make-up sex or is Jason trying to get to second base?" Nicole muttered.

"Trying?" Tyler asked pointed to Jason. Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Whereas Gloria won't even let Christian get past the hand-holding stage." Angel sneered. I gritted my teeth and tucked my hair under my cap. I began scrubbing the floor. Theo came in piggybacking on Jimmy.

"Wow Christian, you were right." He said glancing around and setting Theo down. "Everything is too tense."

"Did you bring the good stuff?" Christian asked. Jimmy pointed to Theo who unzipped his backpack and began throwing joints at people. I dipped my paint brush in black paint and began.

"Loosen up people." Jimmy shouted. "I have never seen people so angry or I-hate-my-life before."

"Easy for you to say." Tyler said. "You were a shy guy who was friends with baby Christian while screwing a hot girl who practically begged you to have sex with her. You don't have to deal with things."

"Like what?" Jimmy asked. Nicole offered me a joint, I shook my head.

"Like an idiot stepbrother who hits on you." Nicole said.

"Or stepdad." Angel said.

"Parents who spent every minute of everyday either having sex, or talking about sex, or role playing for sex later." Christian muttered. I glanced at him and he gave me a look that said, "and you thought your life was so bad."

"Loving someone who doesn't love you back." Theo said.

"You mean stalking?" Jason asked pushing Annabel off him. "And try dealing with wanting to have sex all the time."

"I do." Jimmy said. "What about you Tyler? You haven't said anything."

"My sister has a jackass boyfriend and my mom likes him. I think he's pressuring her into sex or raped her." Tyler said. Nobody said anything.

"Annabel?" Christian asked.

"My dad finally wrote back." She said shrugging before going back to her precious boyfriend.

"What about you Gloria?" Theo asked. I looked up from my painting.

"You're Gloria?" Jimmy asked walking over. I nodded.

"Yeah." He smiled.

"You're prettier than I thought you'd be." Christian cleared his throat. "Uh, Chris. You need a cough drop or something?" He asked. Christian shook his head. "You really need to tell me how hot your girlfriends are so I'm prepared." Jimmy glanced down. "Not bad." He said. I didn't know if he was referring to the painting or my ass. "So what's your story?"

"I don't do back stories." I replied.

"So then talk to me." Jimmy said.

"I'm not taking questions today."

"That wasn't a question."

"Then I'm not taking orders." I corrected. "I'm not a waitress."

"It wasn't an order." Jimmy said. "And you're too interesting to be a waitress."

"Interesting?" I asked.

"Different." He said. "You're unique."

"Just like every other person on the planet." I said.

"But see- you're different... in a group, of outcasts. That's hard to pull off." Jimmy countered. After a moment, I sighed for a long time.

"My dad was killed in combat when I was ten. My mom is pretty hollow. She smokes a certain brand of cigarettes to remind herself of him. My biggest fear is that she'll commit suicide. She's fine when other people are around and she really cares about me. So that's nice." Everybody stared at me.

"You're an army kid?" Annabel asked.

"I don't like that term." I snapped.

"You never told us." Nicole said.

"You never asked." I said. "I don't like to tell people. I hate pity. But it seems we're pouring our hearts out today. So there's mine."

"Are those his dog tags?" Jason asked pointing to my neck.

"Yeah." I said tucking them into my shirt. Jimmy fuddled with the radio.

"Christian, sing a song of anger." He ordered. "The holiday season always pisses you off. You're dating a girl who believes in God. Sing for me." Christian smiled and jumped onto the platform. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

_"Raise your hands now to testify_

_Your confession will be crucified_

_You're in sacrificial suicide_

_Like a dog that's been sodomized"_

"Stand down!" Jimmy shouted.

_"All the white boys"_

"Sit down!" Everyone else shouted.

_"And the black girls"_ Christian pointed to everyone.

_"You're the soldiers of the new world_

_Put your faith in a miracle_

_And it's non-denominational_

_Join the choir we'll be singing_

_In the church of wishful thinking"_ Jimmy ran onstage to sing with him.

_"A fire burns today_

_Of blasphemy and genocide_

_The sirens of decay_

_Will infiltrate the faith fanatics"_ Jimmy hopped down and kneeled next to me.

"So you and Christian?" He asked. I nodded. "You might want to watch out. He gets distracted."

"Distracted how?" I asked. Jimmy pointed to Angel on the platform. She threw her jacket to the side and stood in front of Christian.

_"Oh bless me lord for I have sinned_

_It's been a lifetime since I last confessed."_ I stared at her and sang a soft harmony under my breath.

_"I threw my crutches in 'the river of a shadow of doubt' "_ Angel wrapped her scarf around Christian's neck and pulled away.

_"And I'll be dressed in my Sunday best"_

_"Say a prayer for the family_

_Drop a coin for humanity_

_Ain't this uniform so flattering?_

_I never asked you a God damned thing_

_A fire burns today_

_Of blasphemy and genocide_

_The sirens of decay_

_Will infiltrate the faith fanatics"_ Christian sang. Jimmy glanced at me and smirked. I removed my hat and my hair fell down. I returned the smirk. He pinned me against the wall.

_"Don't test me"_ I whispered. Christian glanced over. Jimmy grabbed me by the waist and I forced his hands off.

_"Second guess me"_ I turned over and pinned him to the wall. I glanced at Christian. Jimmy held his mouth a gasp away from mine.

_"Protest me_

_You will disappear"_

"I want to know who's allowed to breed

All the dogs who never learned to read

Missionary politicians

And the cops of the new religion"

Jimmy filled up shot glasses and the guys began daring each other to take the most. I knew I would be a lightweight but I joined them anyways. I made it to seven before deciding to stop. I couldn't even walk straight. My vision got blurry but I headed to the platform. I stood and posed as a crucified Jesus.

_"A fire burns today_

_Of blasphemy and genocide_

_The sirens of decay_

_Will infiltrate the inside"_ I turned around and fell backwards. Somebody caught me- I think it was Jimmy- and handed me to someone else- probably Christian. Then it was too blurry to see anymore.


End file.
